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Simple food-based score 'can help predict future obesity risk'

A simple score based on the food people eat could help clinicians predict patients’ risk of becoming overweight and ensure they get the right support and advice, say Spanish researchers who undertook a major long-term study.

The Dietary Obesity Prevention Score, created by researchers from the University of Navarra, is based on information about diet and the amount of different types of food people consume.

“We hope that our easy-to-implement preventive score might be developed into a rapid assessment tool”

Maira Bes-Rastrollo

Under the system, people score more on a one to 24 scale for eating plenty of healthier foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish. They score less well for eating lots of red meat, processed foods and drinking sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages like beer and spirits.

Its developers say their research, which followed more than 11,300 people over about 10 years, shows it can be used fairly accurately to predict whether or not someone is likely to become overweight or obese.

The research saw Spanish university graduates, who had signed up to take part in a long-term health study in 1999, complete a detailed questionnaire about their eating habits.

All were of a normal weight at the time and their responses were used to generate a Dietary Obesity Prevention Score.

When they were followed up around 10 years later – now middle-aged – nearly 2,200 had become overweight or obese. Researchers found a clear link between their initial score and whether or not they had maintained a healthy weight.

Those with a high score indicating a healthier diet were found to have a 42% lower risk of being overweight or obese, compared to those with a low score indicating an unhealthy diet.

Analysis found that the risk of becoming overweight or obese went down roughly 7% for every two additional points on the scale.

They say this shows the score could be a highly useful tool to help clinicians give advice on healthy lifestyles and refer “high risk” individuals to receive extra support.

Study author Professor Maira Bes-Rastrollo, of the University of Navarra, said the score had the potential to be developed into a quick and easy-to-use assessment tool.

“We hope that our easy-to-implement preventive score might be developed into a rapid assessment tool to provide both individuals and doctors with helpful dietary guidance-raising awareness of diet susceptibility to weight gain in the long-term, and encouraging healthier eating patterns,” she said.

However, she said the performance and reliability of the score had yet to be tested among different groups.

“Future research will increase the accuracy of outcome predictions in different populations and age groups,” she said.

The new research was due to be presented today at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Vienna, Austria. A poster and an abstract on the study can be found below (see attached PDFs).

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